A Second Look
by Jm-b
Summary: DJ-Set 3 years after "Joey Potter and the Capeside Redemption." DJ are living in NYC together and Dawson is forced to face his feelings for Joey and the fall out of his actions when she asks him to set her up on a blind date.
1. Best Friends

Summary: DJ-Set 3 years after "Joey Potter and the Capeside Redemption. DJ are best friends and living in NYC together, but when Joey asks Dawson to set her up on a blind date, Dawson is forced to face his lingering feelings for her and deal with the fall out of his actions.  
  
There was an unusually large crowd seated at Rinnie's café for a Tuesday lunch. Chatting idly on his cell phone as he maneuvered through the crowd, he spotted his regular lunch companion at a table not far from the flower- covered gate. Almost sensing his arrival, she looked up and waved him over, putting away her book and removing her reading glasses.  
  
"Well hello there, you are a sight for sore eyes," he said with a smile, dropping his messenger bag and turning off his phone so their lunch would not be interrupted.  
  
"Same to you, how was your morning?" she asked, smiling brightly and standing up to give him a quick hug before sitting again.  
  
"Ah you know, nothing like being on the bottom rung of the New York independent film ladder," Dawson laughed, grabbing a menu and brushing off a bug from his companion's shoulder.  
  
"Thanks, you're not on the bottom rung Dawson, you're just getting started, let's not be over dramatic here," she said, putting on her sunglasses and taking a sip of her tea.  
  
"You're telling me not to be over dramatic? You invented the phrase 'drama queen' Joey," Dawson said, watching her brow furrow and snort disapprovingly.  
  
"Whatever film boy, can we order and then banter please?" Joey said, throwing a glance in his direction, causing both of them to smile.  
  
After ordering they continued to talk, catching up on the events that occurred between now and the last time they saw or talked to one another, which was only twelve hours ago. When the food arrived fifteen minutes later, they paused to indulge in their respective club sandwich and salad before continuing the conversation.  
  
"So Friday and Saturday night they're re-showing some old movies at the theater in Chelsea I told you about, why don't we go?" Dawson asked, watching her reaction.  
  
"You want to go both nights?" Joey asked curiously, trying not to spit out part of her salad.  
  
"Well yeah, I mean if you have plans like." Dawson stammered.  
  
"Like a date that I didn't tell you about?" she asked curiously, watching his squirm.  
  
"Well.yeah.I mean if you do it's fine, we don't have to go," he said, trying to avoid her piercing stare.  
  
"Relax Dawson, no date, you know men don't like me," Joey said, noticing him roll his eyes, like he did every time she said this. "Besides I can't think of anyone I would rather spend a weekend with than my best friend."  
  
"Okay first of all let's not rehash this whole thing again Joey, you're very attractive and men line up to go out with you," Dawson said, grabbing her hand reassuringly.  
  
"Really because I don't see a line, do you?" Joey said, placing another fork full of salad in her mouth. "My last date was three months ago Dawson and I left early to hang out with you at your place."  
  
"He was a jerk Joey and unworthy of your love, I told you that," he sighed. "Besides what guy wouldn't want to take you out when you have salad leaves hanging out of your mouth." His comment caused her to pat at her mouth, wondering if she really had salad leaves hanging out. When she heard him laugh though, she knew it was a joke.  
  
"Very funny Dawson," she sighed, kicking his leg playfully.  
  
"So we're set for Friday and Saturday then because I'll buy tickets this afternoon," he said, eating the last bits of his sandwich.  
  
"Yeah if Price Charming rides in to take me away I'll ask him to hang on until Sunday morning," she laughed.  
  
"Good I'm sure he'll understand and I'm paying this time," Dawson said, swiping her credit card away when he saw her place it on the table.  
  
"You paid for lunch yesterday and dinner the other night and you're buying the tickets for this weekend, Dawson it's my turn," Joey laughed, struggling to get her credit card back.  
  
"Nope sorry," he said, slipping the card in his back jeans pocket.  
  
"Dawson this isn't a date, when friends have lunch they can take turns paying," Joey said, causing an uncomfortable moment of silence between them.  
  
"You're right, this isn't a date but it's still my turn," Dawson said, slipping his card to the waiter, watching Joey cross her arms across her chest and pout. "Besides I want you to save your money to buy me a nice birthday gift next year, this years gift was a bit lacking."  
  
"I can't believe you just said that!" Joey cried in shock, watching him laugh and relax back in his chair. "You knew I just graduated from Worthington and moved to New York, I told you all this and you didn't seem to mind then."  
  
"I'm kidding Joey, calm down, I loved your gift, it was very thoughtful," Dawson said, giving her a wink.  
  
"Liar," she laughed and began putting her stuff back in her Hobo bag. After paying for the meal and gathering their stuff together, they walked out of Rinnie's hand-in-hand as always and began walking back to Times Square where they would separate as always.  
  
"Okay so I'll buy the tickets this afternoon and then I have to go back to my crappy office and beg for more money to work on my documentary, how about dinner tonight?" Dawson asked, guiding them slowly through the growing crowd of people.  
  
"Let me see about dinner, I have to work through more crappy manuscripts this afternoon before I can do anything, ah the joys of entry-level publishing jobs," Joey snorted, grabbing his arm and squeezing his hand tighter as a large man collided against her.  
  
"Okay well let's plan on your place this time at eight, I'll bring dinner and if that changes just give me a call," Dawson said, arriving finally at their separation point, the Hot Tix stand at 46th and Broadway.  
  
"There's a new concept, you and me talking on the phone," Joey laughed, turning to face him.  
  
"Is there something you're not telling me because you've been extra touchy today.that time of the month?" Dawson said, ducking a playful swing of her fist.  
  
"Funny Dawson, you're a regular Gallagher," Joey said haughtily. "Okay dinner at eight, you know the drill."  
  
"Later," Dawson said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.  
  
"Later," Joey replied, kissing his cheek as well before turning at the same time to go their respective ways. Waiting to cross the street though, they both threw a glance back at one another, blushing a bit and then with a casual wave losing themselves again in the crowded streets. 


	2. Dinner

Waiting for Dawson to arrive at her apartment for dinner, Joey began preparing for his arrival, getting out two plates for the food, napkins and glasses for soda or wine. He never told her what he would be bringing so she would have to wait and see. The previous time they had dinner together he brought pizza so that means he would either bring Thai or Italian with him. Sitting on her couch, flipping through the new issue of The New Yorker, Joey looked up at the picture on the coffee table of her and Dawson at the Empire State Building not long after she moved to New York. They were smiling happily with his arm around her and laughing because they were acting like "such tourists." Joey smiled, remembering that after a day of walking around the city together Dawson surprised her with dinner at the Rainbow Room to celebrate her first night in the big city. She protested because it was so expensive but he wouldn't hear of it and insisted that they celebrate properly.  
  
She remembered the last three years and smiled widely. The memories of Paris for that summer, helping Dawson make his movie and helping him to mend fences with Pacey. While she was gone they kept in touch by mail and e-mail and he even picked her up from the airport when she returned. His independent movie went over well with the few agents he sent it to and managed to secure a job in New York working for a company that produced documentaries and independent films, supporting new directors. The organization had a two year program that directors and writers could take part in and then work for the organization and create their own project to be shown and a local film festival. They celebrated the night he found out he was accepted to the program and Joey was privately pleased he would only be a few hours from her by car, rather than five hours on a plane.  
  
They worked hard during that time to rebuild their friendship, reinstating movie nights and having long telephone conversations while he was in New York and she was finishing school at Worthington. They traded turns visiting during breaks, visiting the clubs and bars together and enjoying each other's company. When Joey graduated from college, Dawson was there, missing one of his finals to make the ceremony, but making up his grade in summer school. She told him at graduation that she got a job in New York and he could barely contain his excitement. He helped her move and settle in her studio apartment in the Village, complaining that she couldn't find a place closer to his studio apartment on the Lower East Side. But now that they lived together in New York for a year, things were comfortable. Still best friends, they had lunch almost every day and dinner together four nights a week. They were each others dates to dinner parties and office parties and dished out the regular dose of advice on everything.  
  
Neither one dated very much, partially by choice. Joey was so busy with her entry-level job at Weston Publishing that she spent most of her time reading and working when she wasn't hanging out with Dawson. Likewise, Dawson's program kept him busy and now that he had to start working on his film for the festival in a few months, he was spending long days working on his project, although he still consulted with Joey on every aspect of the process. He called her his "unofficial producer." Now that their friendship and bond was fully re-established they were more comfortable around one another, holding hands, kissing on the cheeks, sleeping platonically again in the same bed when they had dinner or showed up after a disastrous date.  
  
Looking at the picture again, seeing how happy they were and how natural it felt to hold hands or have Dawson put his arm around her, Joey sighed deeply. She cared for Dawson and even still had lingering romantic feelings for him. She hated hearing about his dates, privately loving it when he would take the women home early and show up at her place for ice cream and conversation until the early hours of the morning. Neither one of them had a relationship that lasted longer than a month since they moved to New York, apparently most of their dates found their closeness and friendship a bit intimidating and felt like they had to compete for Dawson or Joey's attention when the other was around. Although she loved being with Dawson all the time and being so close to him again, part of her wanted something more. She wanted a boyfriend, she wanted someone who was attracted to her and made her feel special and beautiful all the time. She even wanted someone to want her physically, to want to touch her and hold her, unable to keep his hands off of her again. Joey couldn't even remember the last time a guy felt that for her and she felt the same for him.  
  
"Joey, hello, let me in," Dawson said, his voice crackling through the intercom in her apartment, snapping her back into reality.  
  
"Sorry, come up," she said, pressing the button to unlock the main door to her apartment building. In a few minutes he was at her door, holding a greasy bag of Chinese food and a bottle of wine.  
  
"I bear gifts," he said with a smile, kissing her cheek gently before pushing his way past her into the apartment. "Hey what took so long with the door, you didn't forget I was coming did you?"  
  
"No I didn't I was just lost in my own thoughts," she said, replacing the soda glasses with wine glasses and handing him plates to dish out the food.  
  
"I hope those thoughts were clean there missy," he laughed, noticing the half-smile on her face. "Hey what's the matter?"  
  
"Dawson I'm lonely," she said flatly, taking a plate from him and placing it on the table.  
  
"Lonely? You doing great at work, you have friends and family that care about you and there's you and me," he said, slightly confused.  
  
"I know I have you and friends and family, that's not what I was talking about Dawson," Joey sighed, pouring the wine into their glasses. "Don't you miss having a girlfriend Dawson, someone to kiss, someone to hold you at night and make you feel butterflies?"  
  
"Joey I'm too busy for a girlfriend or anything, have you seen the amount of work I have to do before the festival in May?" Dawson said, trying to make a joke. "Besides I get to kiss you every time we see each other and I get to lay next to you in bed. All the free time I have I spend with you and that's fine with me."  
  
"That's not what I mean Dawson and you know it," she said, picking at her food. "I'm just in a rut. I miss dating, I miss meeting a guy and wondering if he'll call or if he likes me."  
  
"So you're in a dry spell, it happens," Dawson said reassuringly. "Joey you're my best friend but the last few guys you've gone out with have been kind of losers and don't deserve your attention or time."  
  
"Really?" Joey said, suddenly intrigued. "And you think you know what kind of guy would be appropriate for me?"  
  
"Is there anyone else that knows you better than I do?" Dawson said, stabbing a few pieces of chicken. "I think it's safe to say that I know what kind of man you deserve and who would be suited for you."  
  
"Okay then you set me up," Joey said, dropping her fork to stare him in the eye.  
  
"Seriously?" Dawson asked.  
  
"Yes, I want to go on a date Dawson and since you disapprove of my taste in men and know better than me, then I think you should find me someone that you feel suits me," Joey said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest looking at our history?" he asked, surprised by her actions.  
  
"Are you in love with me Dawson? Do you want to date me and be my boyfriend?" Joey asked boldly.  
  
"Ah.Joey."he stammered, taken aback.  
  
"No you don't, I mean you don't feel that way anymore and we're friends and forgetting about our history together, I want you to do this for me Dawson, please," Joey asked, giving him her irresistible Bambi eyes. Dawson suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable and felt his heart race and palms sweat. She was putting him on the spot, but he knew as well as she did that he could say no to her.  
  
"Okay Joey, I'll see what I can do," he sighed, rubbing his palms against his jeans before she jumped on his lap and kissed his cheek, thanking him repeatedly.  
  
That night after dinner and a movie they crawled into her bed together, setting her alarm early for him to get up and leave so he wasn't late for work. With another kiss on the cheek and a swift, "goodnight Dawson," Joey fell asleep, breathing heavily as she dreamed. Dawson suddenly found himself unable to sleep or focus on anything. Her confrontation earlier about his feelings for her caught him off guard and he was confused as to why he reacted the way he did. Things were so great between them now and he enjoyed her company and her friendship more than ever. He relied on her heavily, more than she probably knew and he thought back to her graduation day when she told him she was moving to New York. He was ecstatic that they would be together in the same city again, living far from one another but still able to see each other as much as they wanted, compared to when she was in Boston.  
  
Dawson wasn't sure what Joey felt toward him, outside of friendship that is. He cared for her deeply but still had these lingering feelings for her. When she went to France that summer three years ago, just as it seemed things could change for them again, he pushed his feelings aside while she was gone. But all it took was her smile and the feel of her in his arms again when he picked her up to make those warm butterflies start again his stomach. Even now three years later, he felt butterflies when he saw her or held her hand, but he kept his mind on their friendship, something he wouldn't jeopardize no matter what else he felt. Now he agreed to set her up with some guy! He knew she was lonely and beating herself up over the last guy she went on a few dates with, but he couldn't help and feel glad that nothing was working out in the romance department. If she met Mr. Right then she wouldn't be his Joey anymore, he would have to share her and her attention with some other guy. No more sleepovers and daily lunches or late night phone calls. Suddenly the thought of Joey slipping away and part of Dawson's place in her life being replaced made him panic. He had to do something and soon. 


	3. The Plan and its Execution

The next morning Dawson was relying heavily on the poorly made coffee at work as he logged his first few hours of footage for his documentary. He barely slept the night before at Joey's because he couldn't stop his mind from racing and now paid the price. It was barely noon and Dawson was already dozing off in front of the machines, taking a few sips of his now cold coffee, hoping he could make it through the afternoon until he could go home and nap. There weren't any plans with Joey today because of work stuff so he had time to relax and reprocess what kept him awake the previous night.  
  
"Hey Dawson, wake up," Jason Peterson said, tossing a large ball of paper at Dawson's head, which was now sitting lightly on his chest after falling asleep again.  
  
"What? What's going on?" Dawson asked, confused and looking around to remember what he was doing.  
  
"Dude you were falling asleep, late night?" Jason jokes, playing with his metal rimmed glasses as he dropped a stack of tapes on the table next to Dawson.  
  
"Yeah I couldn't sleep," Dawson said, wincing as he took another sip of cold coffee before pushing it away from him.  
  
"Girlfriend keeping you up?" Jason teased, pulling a chair up next to him.  
  
"Girlfriend? What girlfriend?" Dawson asked, rubbing his head.  
  
"Really? Who's the hot chick that comes in here with you sometimes and you're always running off to see at lunch and after work?" Jason asked, suddenly interested.  
  
"Joey? No she's my best friend, well ex-girlfriend but best friend," Dawson said, noticing the smile that suddenly came to Jason's face. "Why?"  
  
"Well I mean I just thought she was your girlfriend because you guys spend so much time together, she's crazy hot Dawson how can you just be friends with a woman like that?" Jason laughed, lounging back in his chair, readjusting the baseball cap on his head.  
  
"You think she's pretty?" Dawson asked, wondering if Jason was the answer to his problems.  
  
"Heck yeah, if I had a friend like that, I would be doing her all day long, everyone thinks she's hot around here, you should hear what they say when you're gone," Jason laughed, rubbing his stomach. Dawson grinned from ear to ear. Jason was another student in the independent film program Dawson was in and Jason had quite a reputation. He was known for being lewd and vulgar at times and always hitting on women around him without caring if he or they had a significant other.  
  
"She's single you know? Would you be interested in having dinner with sometime?" Dawson said with a smug smile.  
  
"Hell yes, are you serious?" Jason asked, shocked that Dawson was offering to set him up with the woman that all the men drooled over in the office.  
  
"You bet I am, how about dinner this week?" Dawson asked, trying to hide his joy.  
  
"That'd be great, here's my number, talk to your friend and set it up, I'm free anytime, thanks Dawson," Jason said, grabbing his tapes and leaving with a large grin.  
  
Dawson took the piece of paper and burst out laughing. Jason was such a jerk and the one time Joey met him she even said he was repulsive. There is no way Joey would go for someone like him and Dawson knew that she would barely survive a meal with him. Then he was released from trying to set her up with someone, Jason would blow it and act like a jerk and Joey would take off early, hopefully dropping the subject of dating. Yes, Dawson thought, then things would go back to the way they were.  
  
Calling Joey later on to tell her about Jason, she seemed surprised he found someone so fast, but she was pleased, agreeing to dinner on Thursday night. Suddenly wide-awake, Dawson went to talk with Jason, telling him to meet Joey at Scout Bar in Tribeca Thursday for dinner and drinks. Jason could barely hide his excitement, thanking Dawson repeatedly and giving him a hug and a slap on the back. Dawson spent the rest of the afternoon logging more video for his documentary while making notes about what footage he needed to re-shoot and what he was still missing. He tried to concentrate but he couldn't. Part of him felt bad for deliberately setting Joey up on a bad date with a total jerk, but he knew she would forgive him.  
  
Thursday afternoon Dawson left work early and went immediately over to Joey's apartment while she got ready for her dinner with Jason. The last two days Jason bragged to the guys at the office about his date with Dawson's hot friend, making a few lewd comments about Joey and what he wanted to do after dinner. It took all of Dawson's restraint not to hit him across the face, but he kept it to himself, promising to make Jason pay in other ways later on.  
  
"Dawson what do you think the red dress or the black one?" Joey called, hearing him enter the apartment, tossing his bag and keys on the counter.  
  
"Neither, I would opt for a nice sweater and baggy jeans, you know showing zero skin," he yelled back, sitting on the couch as she paraded out with the dresses in her hands. His particular favorite was the red one, which was strapless and cut on a diagonal. She wore it to his office Christmas party this year and looked great. He liked the black one too though, remembering how she looked when they went to see a play and both dressed up for a night on the town.  
  
"Funny film boy, pick it's one or the other," she said, shaking the dresses so he would choose.  
  
"Black," he sighed and picked up a magazine, watching her quickly retreat out of the living room area and back over to her bed and changing area.  
  
"How was your day?" she called, voice slightly muffled by the changing of her clothes.  
  
"Fine, more logging and notes on what I have to work on next week when I have the film equipment," he said, getting up to get something to drink.  
  
"Well let me know where you're shooting and I'll deliver lunch for you and the guys again," she called, applying makeup to her face.  
  
"Sounds good, if you have the free time too I could use your help with equipment and stuff," he said, stirring around the kitchen.  
  
"I'll see what I can do, maybe one of the days but my supervisor just gave me another assignment so I'll see how that goes," she said, stepping out from her changing area and turned to show him her outfit.  
  
"You look beautiful," he smiled, looking her up and down in her black knit dress and maroon shawl with her hair curled and fastened with butterfly clips.  
  
"Thank you," she giggled, kissing his cheek as she grabbed her small purse and did a quick check before she would leave.  
  
"Do you ah mind if I stay here for a bit, I think clearer here," Dawson lied, setting his watch to see how long it would take for Joey to leave her date in disgust.  
  
"Yeah that's fine, just you know lock up when you leave, I'll call you later or tomorrow," she said, giving him a quick wave before shutting the door behind her.  
  
It was now 9 p.m. and Joey had been gone for over two hours. Dawson was still at her apartment, checking his watch and wondering what was going on and what was taking so long. Finally tired of watching informercials and reading her magazines, he got up to leave, leaving her a note and then deciding to conveniently walk by Scout Bar to see if he could spot them. The bar was crowded for a Thursday night and Dawson peered through the window, scanning through the crowd for them. When he couldn't find them, he began to worry, turning the volume up on his cell phone in case she would call and Dawson headed home to get some rest. He sat up until 2 a.m., waiting to hear from her, worrying about her, wondering what was going on. His mind began to race with images of her lying in a gutter or wandering around the streets confused and lost. Okay so he was being over dramatic but still, he thought for sure this would be a bust and Joey would have returned to her apartment or called him not long after meeting Jason. Unable to stay awake any longer, he fell into a deep sleep, still dressed in his clothes, but with his cell phone volume turned on high so he would hear it if it rings, but it never did. 


	4. Backfire

Dawson crawled into work the next morning barely able to keep his eyes open. He managed to get a few hours of sleep the night before, but woke early and stopped by Joey's apartment to see her when he noticed she had not called while he was asleep. He buzzed her apartment several times, asking her to let him in over the loud speaker but she didn't answer. And when she didn't answer her phone he began to really worry, tempted almost to call the police. Arriving at work a bit late, he occupied his mind with calling for rights and clearances for his location shots. Staring at the clock and asking around for Jason, no one knew where he was and if he was coming in or not. Dawson tried calling Joey several more times with no luck and was about to dial the police when Jason came bouncing in the office.  
  
"Jason Peterson is that you?" Kyle, one of the other program kids called, doing a double take like most of the guys did in the office. Jason's usual attire of wire glasses, baseball hat with greasy hair and jeans and T-shirt covered in holes was completely gone. This guy was dressed in a designer dress shirt, pants and shoes, and had contacts on with a clean-shaven face and hair nicely styled.  
  
"Dude Jason what is this the GQ look, is it Halloween?" one of the other guys asked. Jason laughed and did a turn for them, looking over to see a pissed but relieved Dawson looking at him before bouncing over to his desk.  
  
"Jason holy cow man I'm shocked," Dawson said, as Jason pulled him into another hug.  
  
"See this is how I dress when I go out Dawson, believe it or not I'm not as disgusting as everyone here thinks I am," Jason laughed, grabbing a chair to pull up to Dawson's desk.  
  
"So ah how did it go because I can't reach Joey and I'm getting really worried," Dawson tried to say calmly.  
  
"Joey? Oh she's fine man," Jason said with a goofy grin on his face. "Dawson thank you for hooking me up with her, she's the most amazing woman I've ever met. I mean she's smart, funny and so amazing to be around."  
  
"So what did you guys end up doing?" Dawson asked, trying to maintain his calm. "I was in the neighborhood of Scout Bar and didn't see you guys there."  
  
"Yeah well we stayed for like an hour but then we were having so much fun we left and just hung out and talked all night," Jason said. "We went on a walk, carriage ride, stayed out all night and had breakfast at that diner near her house this morning. I just like dropped her off twenty minutes ago." Dawson knew he should be happy, but the feelings of jealousy and resentment bubbled inside of him.  
  
"Oh so it went well," he stammered, trying to look cool.  
  
"Oh man Dawson it was great, thank you man I owe you so big for this," Jason said, standing and slapping Dawson on the shoulder. "Joey said she'd call you later because she knew you might be worried." Dawson nodded, watching Jason saunter away. Staring off into space for a few minutes, he knew he couldn't wait to talk to her later, Dawson told his supervisor he wasn't feeling well and ran over to Joey's apartment.  
  
"Hey Dawson what's up?" she murmured when she opened the door and found him standing nervously in front of her. Unable to suddenly say anything, he grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug, relieved that she was alive and in one piece.  
  
"Joey I called you like ten times in the last twelve hours and I got no response so I got worried," Dawson said, moving into her apartment as she shut the door behind him.  
  
"I said I would call you today and check in, you were really worried?" she said with a smile.  
  
"Yes and don't make fun of me," he said, pulling her into another hug. They shared a nice moment of silence before he began again. "So how did it go?"  
  
"Oh my gosh Dawson this guy is so.he's just something else," she laughed, pulling him over to the couch to share.  
  
"Really? Jason?" Dawson asked, shocked.  
  
"Yeah, I remember meeting him awhile ago at your office and he was well a pig but last night he was clean-cut and handsome, funny and witty," Joey gushed, causing Dawson to get a bit more jealous. "We had so much fun and stayed out all night, it was just amazing."  
  
"Are you going to see him again?" Dawson asked hesitantly, pulling her into a comforting embrace.  
  
"Maybe, I mean I gave him my number and I hope he'll call," Joey giggled. "Thank you Dawson, you're such a good friend." He smiled unhappily, enjoying the other moment of silence between them before the phone rang. Almost in slow motion he saw Joey leave his embrace to answer the phone, pausing for a minute before breaking into a childish giggle, making Dawson's heart sink because he knew it was Jason, calling to ask her out again.  
  
The following week was like a continuos bad dream for Dawson that only got worse, never better. His clever idea to set Joey up with Jason, thinking it was bound to fail, well failed and backfired in his face badly. Dawson and Joey still went to the movies in Chelsea on Friday and Saturday night but they were greeted with Jason's presence immediately after the movie let out, whisking Joey away to have drinks or go talk as Dawson painfully watched them get closer. Joey still met Dawson for lunch while he was filming, gushing about how much fun she was having with Jason and what a great guy he was. The stress to finish his shooting combined with his sudden jealousy seeing Joey with some guy made it difficult to get his work done and concentrate fully on his job.  
  
The thing about this nightmare that made Dawson go crazy was that Jason was suddenly this completely different person. He cleaned up his appearance and attire in the office, turning into this clean-cut, nicely looking guy, compared to the guy Dawson knew just two weeks before. Dawson tried to keep in mind that this was the traditional "honeymoon" period of a relationship, when everything was new and exciting and you couldn't get enough of one another. He remembered back to his own short relationships since he moved to New York and knew how Joey was feeling, but he hated that he barely got to see her. She was always working or hanging out with Jason and despite their invitation for him to join them, Dawson declined, especially after seeing them kiss one day on the street. That kiss sent a jealous stab right in his heart and gut, but he let it go, hoping that Jason's sudden personality change wouldn't last.  
  
Two extremely painful and lonely weeks later, Dawson was invited on short notice to a wedding in the Hamptons that weekend. It was a three-day event and Dawson needed a date. Finally able to catch Joey on the phone and make plans for them to have dinner together, where he planned on convincing her to be his date.  
  
"Dawson I don't know, I really have to catch up on work this weekend," she sighed, picking at the pizza she brought over to his apartment.  
  
"Joey please, please, please, I'm begging here, begging!" Dawson pleaded. "We would leave Friday after work and be back Sunday night."  
  
"Dawson I have to catch up here and Jason talked about maybe getting together."she started, noticing his face fall.  
  
"Joey okay you guys have been 'together' for like two weeks now and you spend all your time with him, I barely see you at all anymore," Dawson pouted. "I'm asking for a huge favor here, consider it payback for setting you up with Jason, please?"  
  
"Okay, okay I'll go and play your best friend and possibly the role of adoring girlfriend if necessary for these people but we have to be back Sunday afternoon so I can work and maybe see Jason," she sighed, giving him a smile.  
  
"The role of loving girlfriend will probably be necessary and Sunday afternoon return time is a deal," Dawson said happily, extending his hand for her to shake to seal the deal.  
  
"Deal," she giggled, shaking his hand before returning to their meal and casual, comfortable conversation. 


	5. Wedding Atmosphere

"Okay whose wedding is this again and how do we know them?" Joey asked as she helped Dawson unpack the car.  
  
"It's Shirley and Ryan Robson wedding, they're contributors to film festivals and independent directors, they gave me some money to show my film about you, Pacey and me three years ago and we've kept in touch since," Dawson said, carrying her bags.  
  
The house was located in East Hampton, a few hours from New York City. The Robson family was extremely wealthy and had a sprawling estate over several acres, including a large Victorian mansion they renovated prior to the wedding. There was the main house, where the guests would stay, as well as a location set up near the bluff overlooking a beach for the ceremony. Joey gaped at the scene in front of her, suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed and insecure.  
  
"Dawson Leery you're here," Shirley squealed when she saw Dawson and Joey come around the house into the back yard.  
  
"Shirley congratulations it's so good to see you again," Dawson laughed as she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Oh my goodness who is this Dawson, she's stunning."  
  
"Oh this is Joey my."Dawson started, looking at Joey who was now also in a tight embrace in Shirley.  
  
"Girlfriend, I'm Dawson's girlfriend," Joey finished, throwing him a sympathetic smile.  
  
"Girlfriend eh? Well we'll have to share this with my husband-to-be," Shirley squealed, watching as Joey put her arm around Dawson's waist and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Okay well take your bags inside and find where your room is and then join us outside for drinks!"  
  
Their room was the corner back room of the house. They giggled when they saw how narrow the hallway was to their room, with barely enough shoulder room for Dawson and Joey to make it down the hall with their bags. The room was stunning, lots of natural light, lots of windows and a large king- size bed and chairs and tables in the room.  
  
"It reminds me of one of the B&B rooms," Joey breathed, taking in the light and scene before them. Throwing her bag on the floor, she jumped on the bed and felt how soft and cloud-like it felt.  
  
"So we'll sleep left to right," Dawson started, feeling a bit nervous suddenly about sleeping in the same bed with her, playing boyfriend and girlfriend for two days.  
  
"Same as always," Joey smiled, closing her eyes.  
  
"Won't you boyfriend get jealous," Dawson muttered, thinking Joey couldn't hear him.  
  
"Dawson Jason knows I'm here with you and he knows how close we are," Joey sighed, rolling her eyes behind his back. "Besides we've slept in the same bed before many times, there's no reason why this would be different."  
  
"Right, nothing is different," Dawson whispered, looking over his shoulder at her and giving her a weak smile.  
  
"Besides this weekend is our chance to hang out and have fun together, just you and me because we don't see each other all that much," she smiled, moving behind him and putting her arm around his shoulder.  
  
"Well whose fault is that?" he joked, feeling her punch his arm playfully.  
  
"Okay so it's mostly my fault but now it's only Dawson and Joey for the next 48 hours so brush up on your adoring boyfriend skills so we can show them just how perfect we are for one another," Joey laughed, kissing his cheek softly before running the in the bathroom to change her shirt.  
  
The remainder of the days activities included drinks and appetizers and mingling among the hundred or so guests that were invited for the weekend. Saturday was the wedding and then reception and Sunday was brunch and departure. Friday night was great. Dawson introduced Joey as his girlfriend to everyone and neither one missed a beat, kissing each other's cheeks, holding hands or Dawson placing his hand loving on Joey's hip. He got her drinks, retrieved her coat when she was cold and even let her sit on his lap with his arms around her waist when their table had one missing chair.  
  
They got so caught up in the act of boyfriend and girlfriend that they started flirting and tempting one another, testing to see how far the other would go. They would stand close together, Dawson's hand gently tracing up and down her back, watching her try and maintain a composed demeanor. Joey would sit on his lap, leaning in so their lips were only a few centimeters apart and then pull away. The final nail in the coffin though was when Joey would purposely squirm on his lap, causing his to groan and reposition her, throwing her warning look which she returned with a flirty look and smile. Sitting on his lap while they chatted with other guests, someone finally about them as a couple. How long have then been together? How did they meet? Dawson panicked for a minute but Joey, never missing a beat, jumped in.  
  
"Okay let me settle this sweetheart," Joey laughed, putting her second glass of wine down on the table, still sitting firmly on Dawson's lap. "We've been together for three years but have known each other forever. Childhood friends, Dawson was my first love but after years of back and forth we just decided to stay friends. But then three years ago things started to just change again, working on his movie and then my subsequent departure to Paris for three months, but all it took was one look from him at the airport and I was head over heels in love again. I will just say that absence makes the heart grow fonder and everything after that point is just a blur, a happy lovely blur." People at the table sighed romantically and gushed at the story, but Dawson watched Joey's face when she said it, seeing the far off look on her face and her red cheeks, remembering back to that day when he picked her up at the airport.  
  
"That is so romantic, you guys are so cute together," Sarah, one of the guests gushed. "So three years together, any plans for marriage?" Joey nearly choked on her wine and Dawson jumped in to spare her.  
  
"Well we're still a bit young, but Joey doesn't want to marry me," Dawson laughed, watching her turn around in horror.  
  
"No sweet-pea I think you have that wrong, you said you didn't want to get married because you still needed to sew some wild oats and get over that case of herpes a one night fling gave him," Joey laughed, watching everyone else break into laughter and Dawson begin to tickle her sides.  
  
"Okay I think my girlfriend has had more than enough to drink and is tired from a long day so we have to turn in," Dawson said nervously, removing the glass from Joey's hand and standing to throw her over his shoulder, causing her to laugh hysterically. "Yeah she was kidding about the herpes thing and I don't have to sew any final oats of bachelorhood, this woman is more than enough for me." Hearing one more round of compliments and gushing, they were off.  
  
"Dawson I'm not drunk, just playful, put me down," Joey giggled as he carried her up the stairs and down the narrow hallway.  
  
"Joey we're almost there so just settle down," he said, opening their bedroom door. "By the way, I've seen you drunk and playful and you're leaning a bit more toward drunk tonight."  
  
"Okay but you haven't seen me playful in a long time my friend, I mean boyfriend, so you can't really judge that one anymore," Joey laughed as Dawson flopped her down on the bed, shutting the door and then jumping on the bed with her. Both laid in silence for a minute, just staring at the ceiling.  
  
"I'm really glad you're here Joey," Dawson whispered, turning his head to look at her.  
  
"Me too, I had a lot of fun today," she breathed, turning to look at him too. "Sorry about the herpes thing, I got a bit carried away."  
  
"It's fine, if anything you've just saved me from being set up on blind dates by these people in the future," he laughed, turning to lay on his side.  
  
"Come on Dawson they can't set you up, you're in a long-term, loving relationship, they ate it up with a spoon down there," Joey laughed, giving him a playful shove.  
  
"Yeah they did," he said softly, brushing a piece of hair from her face, staring at each other in silence, not needing to say a thing.  
  
"Well you better get some sleep because you will be called upon to dance with me tomorrow at the wedding reception, no excuses," Joey whispered, moving slowly closer to him.  
  
"I think I can handle that," he breathed, getting caught up in the moment, the mood, and the atmosphere around him. All the playfulness suddenly disappeared between them and they just stared at one another getting lost in each other. After a few minutes, Joey playfully pushed him on his back and leaned her head on his shoulder and her hand on his stomach.  
  
"Goodnight Dawson," she said softly, leaning up to kiss his cheek, smelling his cologne.  
  
"Goodnight Joey," he breathed, closing his eyes and falling asleep immediately.  
  
They overslept the next morning, waking up only 45 minutes before the ceremony was about to begin. Panicking, they shared the bathroom, Joey putting on her makeup and pining up her hair while Dawson shaved. Dressing quickly in her simple spaghetti-strapped green dress and black wrap, Joey helped Dawson with his tie as they ran out the door and down the stairs. The ceremony was held outside in the backyard of the grounds. There was a gazebo at the alter that was decorated with flowers and overlooked the beach below them. Running over to the ceremony, hearing the music about to start, Dawson grabbed Joey's hand, lacing his fingers through hers and led her over to two empty chairs. Flustered and warm from running over there, Joey fidgeted with her dress while Dawson smoothed out his suit.  
  
"You look really beautiful today," Dawson whispered in her ear as they turned to watch the procession begin. She looked at him over her shoulder, mouthing, "thank you," and gave him a wink before returning her gaze to the bridesmaids. After the wedding, Joey and Dawson walked with the guests back to the house, where the reception was going to take place. Still holding hands, Joey dragged him over to a table with the people they chatted with the previous evening.  
  
"Oh it's the happy couple, did you guys get a late start today?" Sarah's husband Tim asked, shaking Dawson's hand.  
  
"Yes we did, my poor Dawson was so tired last night that I let him sleep a bit too late today," Joey said, sitting down at the table and placing her hand on his knee.  
  
"Well hey we have some cameras here at the table for some entertainment, Dawson, Joey you guys get together for a picture," Sarah said, motioning for them to move closer together.  
  
"Okay but make sure we get a copy of it, I don't remember the last time I had a new one taken of us," Dawson laughed, feeling Joey's arms wrap around his waist and her chin rest on his shoulder. He could smell her perfume and body wash and the wind made one of her curls tickle the side of his face.  
  
"Okay.one.two.three," Sarah said, taking the picture on "three." "You guys that will look so cute, I'll definitely send Dawson a copy." Dawson turned to look at Joey, whose face was still close to his, causing their noses to be only centimeters apart.  
  
"Guys the music and dancing is starting, let's go," Tim said, grabbing Sarah's hand and noticing Joey and Dawson pull back from each other quickly.  
  
"Sweetheart I did promise you a dance," Dawson said, removing her wrap and his jacket before taking her hand and leading her to the dance floor.  
  
Because there were mostly couples at the wedding, the DJ played mostly slow songs. The initial distance between Dawson and Joey as they danced began to disappear and eventually she had her arms wrapped around his neck and they danced cheek-to-cheek. Looking over her shoulder to see the sun setting, Dawson pulled back and grabbed her hand to go back to the table.  
  
"Grab my coat and I'll be right back," Dawson said, leaving before Joey could question him. He returned moments later with a contraband bottle of wine and two glasses, motioning for her to sneak out of the reception and follow him, which she did.  
  
It was much cooler now as the evening arrived so Joey placed Dawson's jacket on her shoulders, wrapping the jacket around her body, smelling his cologne again on the jacket.  
  
"Dawson where are we going?" Joey asked, dragging slightly behind him.  
  
"Just trust me, I'm going to show you something amazing," he said cryptically, taking her hand and leading her out to the rocks near the end of the bluff.  
  
"What's going on?" she said, taking one of the glasses from him and sitting on the rocks.  
  
"I wanted to show you what a real sunset looks like outside of New York," Dawson said, pausing to take in the scene before pouring some wine for them. The entire sky was beginning to fill with deep hues of pink, yellow and orange, gently bouncing off the water.  
  
"This is so beautiful, I almost forgot what a real sunset looks like," Joey breathed, shivering a bit from the cool wind. Without a word, Dawson sat next to her on the rock, pouring some wine for her and then pulling her close to help shelter her from the wind. Resting her back against him, Dawson felt himself wrap an arm around her unconsciously. They enjoyed the scene before them and each other's company, just sitting and enjoying the silence between them.  
  
"If I get married, I want to do it outside of the city, a nice scene like this, you don't get a view like this in New York," Dawson said softly, breaking the silence.  
  
"You're right," Joey said, leaning on him a bit more. "You better hope your future wife agrees with you."  
  
"Fortunately I don't have to worry about that for a long time, I can't even get a date," Dawson laughed, taking a sip of wine.  
  
"You won't have to worry about finding someone Dawson, women will flock to you when you announce you're looking for a girlfriend," Joey laughed.  
  
"Oh really? What else will happen?" he said playfully, pouring more wine.  
  
"Hmmm let's see I'll end up being your answering service, fighting off all your women and we'll have to book lunch together like three weeks in advance because women will occupy your every lunch and dinner time break," Joey laughed, finishing her glass of wine. "And then you'll pick the one you want, you'll start living together, get married and forget all about me."  
  
"I'd never forget about you Joey, you're my best friend, you're." he started, wondering if he should continue, considering the amount of liquor and lack of food they consumed.  
  
"What Dawson, finish your sentence," Joey asked softly, sitting up to turn and look at him.  
  
"You're my companion, confidant, you're.everything," Dawson breathed, looking her right in the eyes.  
  
"I wanted to kiss you that day at the airport, when you came to pick me up," Joey confessed, blushing slightly. "I was so anxious to see you and hear about what you'd been up to and that look in your eye when you saw me get off the plane, I started to swoon again."  
  
"It's okay I wanted to kiss you too, I also wanted to kiss you that night in my room, right before you left for France when we were laying on my bed," Dawson confessed, holding one of her hands. "You looked so pretty just laying there, looking at me. It took like all of my strength not to reach over and kiss you."  
  
"It's okay, I wanted to kiss you too," Joey giggled. "It's amazing that after everything that has happened, after all the hurt, misunderstandings and time apart, look at how close we are now."  
  
"I know, but even when things were bad and we weren't speaking, I knew it would work out," Dawson said softly, rubbing her hand. "After all this Joey, I know we'll survive anything."  
  
"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if we stayed together or if we got our real chance?" Joey asked, looking away for a minute.  
  
"Yeah I think about it a lot, but all of those what-ifs don't matter right now because I like this, I like where we ended up," Dawson said, tilting her head up to look her in the eyes again. "I wouldn't give up hope yet either for our chance Jo, I have a feeling this is far from over."  
  
Maybe it was the alcohol or the sun setting or the heart-to-heart that made Joey snap, but she did. Without breaking her stare from Dawson, she placed her hands gently on his face and moved closer, leaning in so their lips were only centimeters apart again. But this time instead of pulling away like she did the day before when they teased one another, she leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, letting them linger together as her hands slid down to his shoulders. After a minute she pulled back slightly, opening her eyes and being confronted with Dawson's open eyes, clouded with want. Seeing the look in his eyes, she leaned in again and kissed him softly, feeling his hands gently wrap around her waist again before Dawson leaned in to the kiss as well, this time deepening the kiss, kissing her bottom lip before separating her lips gently with his tongue. Something in the back on Joey's head said this was wrong but that voice soon disappeared as she got lost in his touch and kiss, which turned more passionate with every minute. At that moment, it just felt right.  
  
The long hidden romantic lingering feelings for one another exploded with that kiss. Finally breaking away from the out of control kisses for air, Dawson looked at Joey's swollen lips and eyes, which had the same cloudy look of desire. Running his finger across her lips, he leaned in again to kiss her, wanting nothing more than to kiss and hold her, but she pulled away. Confused, he watched as she stood up and looked at him, smiling weakly before grabbing his hand, lacing her fingers in his and leading him back to the house with a brisk walk. Dodging the guests and people at the reception, Joey dragged Dawson back to the house, kissing him deeply as they approached the stairs. Pulling back to look at her face, Dawson saw her smile again and kissed her softly before grabbing her hand and dragging her up the stairs, stopping to share quick kisses and giggles the entire way. Pushing him against the closed door, Dawson struggled to find the knob, barely getting it open before picking Joey up and carrying her in, kicking the door shut.  
  
Carrying her over to the bed, Joey continued to kiss his neck and earlobe, trying to undo his tie with one hand. Laying her gently on the neatly made bedspread, she didn't even pause before pulling him down on top of her, wrapping their legs together and leaning in for another kiss, which Dawson hesitated to do.  
  
"What's wrong?" Joey whispered, tracing her finger on his cheek.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked softly, hoping she would say yes.  
  
"Yes I am, please, don't you feel something here, this whole weekend.the last few years," Joey whispered, leaning in for him.  
  
"I love you Joey, I always have, I have for a long time.but."Dawson started, feeling his heart race.  
  
"But nothing.I love you too Dawson, I've felt this for a long time.please kiss me," she pleaded, looking at him with her Bambi eyes again.  
  
"I love you," he breathed, leaning in to kiss her, feeling everything else fade away. 


	6. Afterglow and Complications

Joey was woken up early the next morning by the feeling of soft kisses being placed on her arm and shoulder. Lying on her back, she turned her head to see Dawson's soft blue eyes resting on her, both breaking into a slow smile.  
  
"Morning," he whispered, tracing his finger gently against her sensitive skin.  
  
"Morning," she whispered back, rubbing her nose against his, moving closer to him so he could wrap his arms around her. After a few minutes though of touching and passionate kisses, Joey pulled him on top of her, resuming the previous evenings activities.  
  
A few hours later, Joey woke to the sound of a phone ringing in their room. Thinking it was part of her dream, she hesitated to answer it, but eventually her eyes fluttered open and blindly reached for the phone, tapping her hand against the nightstand several times before reaching the receiver.  
  
"Hello," she muttered, barely conscious.  
  
"Hey gorgeous, I'm sorry I woke you up but I just had to hear your voice," Jason cooed into the phone, causing Joey to snap back to reality.  
  
"Jason?" Joey asked, looking around and closing her eyes in horror. A light sheet was wrapped around her body and Joey prayed she would find her underwear or dress on underneath, but she was wrong. Her dress was lying on the floor, along with her wrap and Dawson's dress shirt, pants and tie. "Oh shit," she muttered.  
  
"Joey? Are you okay? How was the wedding?" Jason asked, adding a sense of concern in his voice.  
  
"Fine, the wedding was fine," Joey stammered, wrapping the sheet around her before crawling out of bed and dragging the phone as far as it would go.  
  
"I'm glad you had fun, I hope Dawson behaved himself," Jason joked, causing Joey to panic slightly.  
  
"He did, he was just.fine," Joey whispered, sneaking a glance to see if Dawson was awake, but he continued to snore lightly in bed.  
  
"You guys are still coming back today right?" Jason asked.  
  
"Yes we are, ah we are hoping to be back this afternoon but I'm not sure, we're pretty beat from the wedding," Joey said, trying to drag the phone further away.  
  
"I bet, well I'll stop by your apartment late this afternoon then, if you're going to be later than six though can you give me a call?" he asked, unaware of what was going on.  
  
"Sure, Jason I have to go I'll see you later honey, bye," Joey said hurriedly, hanging up the phone and briefly burying her head in her hands. "Oh my god I slept with Dawson, my best friend, what the hell was I thinking?"  
  
She could hear him stirring in the next room, slowly waking up. Joey quickly dragged the phone back in the room and crawled back in bed, rolling on her side to watch him slowly wake up. He looked so peaceful sleeping next to her, she almost didn't want this moment together to end. Moments later it did though, with a soft groan he opened his eyes, noticing her staring at him.  
  
"Hey," he breathed, moving closer to kiss her again, letting their lips linger softly together. Joey wanted to pull away but she didn't because part of her didn't want to. Having him kiss her again, feeling the sparks she did all those years ago when they were together was too strong to deny. Even though she just got off the phone with Jason, her technical boyfriend, she wanted to stay here in bed with Dawson, just for a bit longer. She wanted to enjoy this afterglow feeling before it got complicated and confusing, more so that it already was.  
  
"Dawson it's almost noon, we have to get going so I can get back to the city," Joey breathed, reluctantly pulling away from his kisses, feeling him follow her, continuing to kiss her neck.  
  
"Hmmm Joey come on, just a bit longer, please, I promise I'll make it worth your while to stay with me a bit longer," Dawson said seductively, kissing her neck and moving back to her lips.  
  
"Dawson I would really like to stay here and do this, but I can't, remember our deal?" Joey asked, moving over in the bed, away from him.  
  
"Forget the deal Joey, stay with me," he said softly, reaching for her hand.  
  
"I want to Dawson, but if I don't get back and do this work I could get fired and then I'm Capeside-bound for good," she said, leaning in to kiss his cheek and then getting out of bed to shower and pack.  
  
The ride home was a bit awkward, especially since Joey was terrified to touch Dawson or be within arms distance from him. The ride home was mostly silent, Joey lost in thoughts of what happened the night before and what she would do now, returning to New York and Jason, who knew nothing about what happened. Dawson was also lost in his own thoughts, smiling privately, remembering the night before, both of them declaring their love. Deep down in his heart, Dawson knew Joey still loved him and wanted to make love the previous night. He saw the look in her eye, the look of love, want and need. He heard her whisper and repeat his name when they made love, feeling her nails trace over his back and the way her breath labored after they climaxed together, clinging to one another with him kissing her cheeks, nose, eyelids and chin. Knowing Joey though, Dawson knew she would try to back off, claiming it was a mistake, especially since Jason was in the picture for now. But he was ready for whatever she tried to do to push him away, he wouldn't let her go this time. She loved him, she said it several times pre and post-coital the night before and he loved her too, which he also managed to repeat several times the previous night. Jason was an issue, but a temporary one, because there was no way Dawson would let Joey go again.  
  
"Dawson," Joey said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Dawson we're here, at my apartment, I need you to unlock the door." He shook his head and looked at her, taken with how lovely she looked in the sunlight that streamed through the car door and how she had this glow around her.  
  
"Sorry," he said, unlocking the doors and popping the trunk for her to get her suitcases.  
  
"Dawson you don't have to help me I only have one bag," Joey joked, trying to keep it light. He got out of the car to help her and now they just stared at one another, unsure of what to do.  
  
"Oh ah so I guess you have to go," he said sadly, wanting her to invite him in.  
  
"Yeah, work stuff.you know work.stuff," she said uncomfortably.  
  
"Yeah work stuff.so I had a good time this weekend, it was nice just you.me.," Dawson said nervously.  
  
"Yeah it was fun, thank you for inviting me, it was nice to get out of the city," she said, shuffling her feet.  
  
"So lunch this week?" he asked, feeling the tension rise.  
  
"Yeah um we can talk tomorrow or something and decide," Joey said, cautiously wondering if she should hug or kiss him goodbye, something that used to be natural but now was a bit confusing.  
  
"Okay, sounds good," Dawson said, looking up at her, both just staring at one another. Silence just fell between them, both unsure of what to do now. Joey felt herself slipping, she saw the look in his eyes, of confusion and it just made her melt again.  
  
"Screw it," she said, dropping her bag and taking one step before throwing her arms around him, kissing him deeply on the mouth. It took only a second for his arms to wrap around her, pulling her as close as he could, both getting lost again in one another.  
  
"Joey? Dawson?" someone said, causing Joey's eyes to fly open and pull apart from Dawson roughly. Both were dazed by what happened and Joey began looking around furiously to see if someone saw them. When she saw no one she relaxed for a minute, but then she heard the voice again. "Guys are you there?"  
  
"Oh god," Joey breathed, smoothing down her shirt and hair before grabbing her bag and turning away from Dawson quickly to move around the car.  
  
"Joey.wait," Dawson hissed, reaching for her, but she was gone. With a deep sigh, Dawson closed his trunk and moved back to the driver side of the car, catching a quick glance of Joey and Jason in a deep embrace. It was Jason that was speaking to them, he came over to see Joey and saw Dawson's car. With a slightly pained expression, Dawson watched them the embrace and remembered back just a few minutes ago when he was kissing Joey, holding her tight in his arms. With another sigh, Dawson started the car and took off, catching a quick glimpse of Joey looking at him with a pained expression on her face before Jason pulled her in for a kiss and Dawson looked away to concentrate on the road.  
  
For the next week things were painfully awkward between Dawson and Joey. Phone calls were less frequent and usually consisted of awkward pauses or lapses in conversation. Dawson tried to keep it light, chatting aimlessly with her, but they both knew things had changed. Joey conveniently couldn't make lunch all week and claimed she had to work or had plans with Jason for dinner every night too. Dawson felt sick, knowing that Joey was slipping away from him again. He wanted to talk to her about it, he wanted to tell her what he was thinking and what he wanted from her but he chickened out. Suddenly he didn't know what to say or how to act around her, feeling like he did when he was fifteen. As they began to talk less and less during that week, he began to feel more jealous and alone, wanting just to hold her and tell her what he was thinking.  
  
Jason, who was still oblivious to everything, didn't help matters either. He talked about Joey all the time, how great she was, how much he liked her, how he thought she might be "the one." Dawson tried to ignore him, but he couldn't because Jason knew more about her right now then Dawson did and he was her best friend. Now more than a week after their night together, Dawson was in his usual routine, work and then going home to watch some TV, take notes on his film and then trying to work up the courage to call Joey and resist the urge to go see her. Tonight he was busy half-watching Conan when he heard a soft knock on the door. Putting his books down, he went over to answer it, shocked to see Joey standing on the other side.  
  
"Dawson," she whimpered, tears streaming down her face. Without a word he opened his arms and held her tightly, feeling her body shake a bit from sobbing. They stayed there, holding one another while Joey continued to cry with his apartment door wide open. After a few minutes though, he picked her up and kicked the door shut, carrying her over to the couch.  
  
"Joey what happened, please tell me," he said softly, wiping her tears with his thumb.  
  
"Bessie called me today and told me that while she was on vacation with Bodie and Alex she ran into my dad," Joey sniffed, trying to breathe normally again.  
  
"Your dad's out of jail?" Dawson asked.  
  
"Apparently he's not only out of jail but remarried with a baby son, which he neglected to tell us about," Joey said, feeling the sobs start up again.  
  
"I'm sorry Joey," Dawson said softly, pulling her closer to him, brushing the hair away from her face.  
  
"How could he do this Dawson?" Joey asked, burying her face deeper in his chest.  
  
"I don't know Joey, I don't understand it either," he said, lifting her chin up to look him in the eye. "But for whatever reason he did this, he doesn't deserve you and Bessie. You guys have stood by him when he's done nothing but hurt you, but you'll get through this Joey, I know you will. You're too strong to let this one thing get you down."  
  
"Thank you Dawson," she whispered, wiping away a tear. "I'm sorry I just came over like this I know you're busy but I just needed to go somewhere safe and I ended up here."  
  
"You don't ever have to explain to me Joey, you're always safe here with me, always and any time," he said, getting lost in her eyes, hating to see her so hurt.  
  
"Why are you so good to me? Why do you put up with me all the time?" Joey laughed, feeling herself getting lost in his eyes again too.  
  
"Because I love you Joey, you're the most important person to me, you're everything," Dawson said softly. She smiled weakly and leaned in to lean her head on his shoulder, but when she leaned in, Dawson put his hand gently on her cheek and kissed her again, letting their lips linger together.  
  
"Dawson." Joey breathed as his lips pulled away slowly, waiting for her to say something. Looking into his eyes again though she saw the look that always made her heart melt. She saw the look of pure acceptance, knowing he cared for her just the way she was and didn't judge her.  
  
"Joey." he said, leaning in for her again, somehow knowing she wouldn't push him away. As he continued to kiss her, laying her down on the couch, he clung to her so tight, he felt like he couldn't breathe. But he didn't want to stop, knowing things would only get more complicated after this. 


	7. Honesty

Dawson woke up the next morning alone in his bed, a blanket laying gently over his naked body. Squinting at the bright sunlight that shown through his windows, he knew Joey was gone. Sighing to himself, he looked over to see an empty bed next to him with no sign that Joey was ever there. Wrapping the blanket around his waist, he sauntered into the kitchen to get something to drink, noticing in the mirror that he badly need to shave and should probably wear a turtleneck to work because of a small hickey on his neck. Closing his eyes he remembered vividly what happened the night before. Consoling Joey which turned into kissing, which turned into touching, which turned into him carrying her to his room and making love again all night. He fell asleep with her in his arms again, kissing her forehead, chin, cheeks and eyelids again before drifting away.  
  
While brushing his teeth, inspecting the mark on his neck a bit more, he suddenly felt very alone. Dawson didn't regret making love to Joey the previous night, or the weekend of the wedding, but the idea of Joey slipping away from him made him sick. He heard her whisper, "I love you," before falling asleep and he could see it in her eyes when they sat on the couch. She loved him and he loved her but they weren't together and Dawson knew he had to change that and soon. This was their chance to be together and he wasn't going to let it slip by yet again.  
  
An hour later he managed to get himself together and stroll into the office, noticing Jason sitting at the logging machines, working on his project. Dawson tried to avoid him but as soon as Jason noticed him, he bounced over to his desk.  
  
"Hey Dawson have you talked to Joey at all?" Jason asked, not noticing Dawson quickly avert his gaze.  
  
"Ah no I haven't really talked to her, why?" Dawson asked, shuffling stuff around on his desk, hoping Jason would disappear.  
  
"Well I tried calling her last night and she wasn't home so I stopped by and her neighbor said she left in a hurry earlier," Jason said, not noticing Dawson's nervousness.  
  
"Sorry can't help you," Dawson said, grabbing some tapes to go log.  
  
"Well maybe I'll ask her about it tonight during dinner," Jason said sadly, walking with Dawson back to the logging machines.  
  
"Oh you guys have plans?" Dawson asked curiously.  
  
"Yeah I'm taking her to Scout Bar tonight for dinner, you know remembering back our first date and everything, we have reservations for eight," Jason said, snapping his headset back on his head. Noticing Jason was deeply engrossed in his tape, Dawson smiled privately, concocting a scheme in his head, privately thanking Jason for giving him his idea.  
  
That night Dawson sat in Scout Bar just a bit before 8 p.m., waiting for Joey and Jason to appear for dinner. All afternoon he felt a mix of joy and nervousness, knowing he was going to tell Joey how he felt and convince her that they belong together. He had enough of them being apart and he knew tonight was definitely make or break.  
  
Dawson stayed out of sight when they came in and settled at their table, taking a minute to just take in the scene before him. Joey looked so lovely in a dress and wrap, similar to what she wore on their first date. Jason looked good too, but watching him reach for her hand, stroking it gently, made Dawson almost go nuts with jealousy. He could see Joey flinching a bit, obviously nervous after the events of the previous night, but Dawson still stayed in the background. It wasn't until Jason leaned in to kiss her and Joey half-heartedly responded that Dawson snapped, unable to watch them kiss.  
  
"Joey I need to talk to you," Dawson said, rushing over to the table and grabbing her hand to drag her outside of the bar.  
  
"Dawson what are you doing here, I'm on a date," Joey hissed, grabbing his arm to let go of her hand, which he just held tighter.  
  
"I just need a few minutes of your time Joey, please," he said, opening the bar's door and walking her over to the side of the building.  
  
"What are you doing here Dawson, what is going on?" she said exasperated.  
  
"Joey, I love you, I want us, you and me to be together," he said, feeling his heart start to race.  
  
"Dawson stop, you don't know what you're talking about," she said, turning to leave.  
  
"Yes I do and I know you love me too," he said, making her stop.  
  
"Of course I love you Dawson, you're my best friend." Joey said softly.  
  
"No I know you love me as a friend but I also know you love me like I love you, as something more," Dawson said, moving closer to her.  
  
"Dawson." Joey started, rubbing her head.  
  
"No Joey I know because you said it, you said it last night when we made love at my apartment, you said it when we were together at the wedding and you meant it, I saw it in your eyes," Dawson said, reaching for her hand, holding it tightly.  
  
"We shouldn't have done that Dawson, sleeping together will just complicate all this, it'll complicate everything," Joey said softly.  
  
"I don't regret sleeping with you Joey and I saw it in your eyes, you don't regret it either," Dawson said matter-of-factly, watching her emotionally distance herself. "When we were pretending to be a couple at the wedding, didn't you notice how natural and easy it was, how right it felt to be together?"  
  
"Dawson of course it was natural, we dated before, we know how to act like a couple because of our history," Joey said, looking over her should lightly to see if Jason was coming out to check on her.  
  
"It was more than history Jo and you know it," Dawson said, moving closer to her. "The flirting and tempting one another, the way you looked when you told Sarah and Tim about how we fell in love. You can't lie to me and tell me you don't see the little dance we do around one another."  
  
"What dance?" Joey said, surprised.  
  
"The dance of you and me," Dawson said, noticing he wasn't getting anywhere. "The way we act with one another. Before all of this, you and I were practically a couple, holding hands, kisses on the cheek, spending all of our time together."  
  
"But things are different now Dawson, I'm with Jason, he's a good guy," Joey said, pulling away a bit.  
  
"I know Joey if you were so committed to this guy and he was so great, why did we sleep together on two separate occasions now, why did you come to me when you found out about your dad?" Dawson pressed.  
  
"What do you want then Dawson, just tell me," Joey said, feeling a headache starting.  
  
"I want you and me, I want us to be together, I want us to take this chance and go with what we feel and be a couple again," he said flatly, taking her other hand.  
  
"But why now? Why now when I have someone else?" Joey asked, lacing her fingers with his.  
  
"I told you at the wedding this, you and me, was far from over and I've felt this way for a long time and now it just feels right, this is it Joey, it's our chance," Dawson said, moving closer to drop her hands and put his hands around her waist.  
  
"How do you know it'll work though Dawson, how do you know we won't ruin this and our friendship again?" Joey asked, feeling herself bend, forgetting about Jason.  
  
"Because we'll take it slow," he said softly, pulling her closer. "I know because we both want this to work and we'll be aware of the mistakes in our past and make it different. Please Joey, I love you so much, I don't want to miss our chance again." Their foreheads were now pressed together and their eyes closed with their arms around each other's waist.  
  
"I love you too." she finally whispered, leaning in to kiss him, the butterflies starting again in her stomach and feeling everything else fade away. It felt like hours passed as they stood there together, kissing. Her public declaration of love made his heart soar, knowing this felt right, until it came crashing down around him.  
  
"Joey? What the hell is going on?" said an angry voice, interrupting their moment. Pulling away, her eyes as big as saucers, Joey turned and felt her heart sink to see Jason standing a few feet away having witnessed the kiss.  
  
"Jason." Joey started, unsure how to finish what she began to say.  
  
"Dawson what the hell are you doing kissing her, Joey what's going on here?" Jason said, getting angrier as he moved closer to them.  
  
"Jason I'm sorry man I didn't want you to find out like this," Dawson said, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu, back to the time when Dawson confronted Joey and Pacey in his front yard.  
  
"Find out what?" Jason snapped.  
  
"I love Joey and she loves me too, I'm sorry," Dawson said, wrapping his arm around Joey's waist.  
  
"You're kidding right?" Jason scoffed, noticing the guilty look on Joey's face. "So you convince me she's only a friend, set me up with her and then decide a month later that you love her and can't live without her so you steal her away? What the hell kind of friend are you?"  
  
"Jason." Joey started again, also remembering back to when Dawson, Pacey and Joey had their confrontation and how badly it all went.  
  
"Joey is this true? Do you love him?" Jason asked, painfully waiting for her answer. A deafening silence followed.  
  
"Yes I do," she said softly, nodding her head.  
  
"So is this some kind of game you two run? You claim to be friends, snare some poor guy and then break his heart by letting him find you two kissing while one is supposed to be on a date?" Jason yelled, running his fingers through his hair. "What are you some kind of pimp and she's your whore?"  
  
"Jason if you don't shut your fucking mouth now I'll make you regret it," Dawson snarled, pushing Joey behind him, getting closer to Jason. "She isn't a whore and this isn't her fault so you don't call her names, you deal with me."  
  
"Oh please, Dawson spare me the crap," Jason hissed, getting closer to him too, waiting now for punches to fly. "Just tell me why would you go through the trouble of setting me up with her, telling me how great she was and sitting back idly as I spent time with her. Was it suddenly that she couldn't spend all her time with you that you magically decided you had to have her for yourself or what?" The tension between the men was escalating and both began to forget what they were saying.  
  
"You weren't supposed to get along at all!" Dawson screamed, jerking Joey's attention back to them, causing her to move closer.  
  
"What do you mean?" Jason asked more confused than ever.  
  
"Joey asked me to set her up with someone I knew because she was lonely so I did, but you guys weren't supposed to get along, you were supposed to be the scrubby pig I knew at work and then she would hate you and walk off and come back to me so everything could just be the way it was," Dawson yelled, suddenly stopping when he realized Joey could hear him.  
  
"So this was all a joke?" Joey gasped, moving next to them, looking at the shocked expression on Jason's face.  
  
"Joey." Dawson started, seeing tears form in her eyes.  
  
"You fixed me up with Jason knowing it wouldn't work so you could just continue to keep me for yourself," Joey stammered, backing off a bit.  
  
"It wasn't like that exactly," Dawson said, moving closer to her to try and explain.  
  
"Exactly? Well then how was it Dawson?" she said angrily. "I ask you to do something for me as a friend, something I would have done for you and you just used it as a way to make sure your status quo didn't get interrupted. You don't love me, you just didn't want to lose me to someone else."  
  
"No Joey, please just listen." Dawson started, watching her back away further as Jason just looked at her in pity. "I meant everything I said to you, I love you, I want to be with only you. I never lied about that. I just wasn't sure how I felt before."  
  
"Oh but it must have become crystal clear when your little plan backfired on you, didn't it?" Joey snapped. "That's why you pushed for me to go to that wedding, you wanted to take me to seduce me and try to get me to fall in love with you so I would dump Jason."  
  
"Joey please, I'm sorry okay, but I didn't lie to you about." Dawson said, feeling faint.  
  
"No Dawson you did lie, you've lied about everything," Joey whispered, turning to look at Jason. "Jason I'm sorry but I have to go, please believe me that I didn't know what was going on and I never meant to hurt you with this. I had a lot of fun with you and.I'm sorry."  
  
"It's okay Joey, I know you didn't have anything to do with it," Jason said softly, watching her turn and slowly walk way, putting her hand to her forehead. Feeling paralyzed in his position, Dawson watched Joey walk away soon blending into the crowd on the sidewalk.  
  
"You know Dawson I guess we both lost in the end, but I think she'll still talk to me tomorrow morning," Jason laughed bitterly, brushing past him, leaving him alone on the street. 


	8. Back to Normal?

Dawson didn't think his life could really get a lot worse. He was falling behind on his project because of his recent bout of self-induced depression and everyone at the office was acting differently around him. Jason was cold and standoffish to him and Dawson knew Jason told some people what he did. As much as he hated hearing the whispers as he tried to work and he hated barely being able to sleep or eat much, the thing he hated most was that Joey wasn't around. Now three weeks after the incident at Scout Bar, she still wouldn't speak to him or see him. He called her but she never called back, he wrote her letters and e-mails but they were returned to him. He was even desperate enough to call Bessie and ask her to give Joey a message but Bessie politely declined, opting to protect her sister. The time without her was making him go crazy. He was used to long absences between them, the summers they spent apart, when she was living in Boston while he was in New York, but she was always there for him like he was for her. And now she wouldn't speak to him or see him and he missed her like crazy. He missed her laugh and smile, the way she looked at him and punched his shoulder when he teased her. Sometimes when he would walk through the streets, he thought he saw her or heard her laugh, but it wasn't her. Now he was sitting at his desk, staring off into space, focusing on the picture of him and Joey taken at the Empire State Building when she first moved to New York. They looked so happy together then.  
  
"Hey Dawson," Jason said softly, lingering around Dawson's cubicle. He looked at Jason in surprise and shock that he was actually being mildly friendly to him.  
  
"Jason, hi," Dawson stammered, quickly putting the picture of him and Joey back on his desk.  
  
"How are you?" Jason asked nervously.  
  
"Fine, plugging along," Dawson lied, smiling softly.  
  
"Have you heard from.her?" Jason asked, cutting right to the chase.  
  
"No.you?" Dawson said, his voice breaking a bit.  
  
"Yeah I've seen her a couple of times, talk on the phone sometimes too," Jason said softly, looking away from Dawson's surprised look.  
  
"Still dating?" he asked nervously, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.  
  
"No just friends.her.her heart is elsewhere," Jason said, looking Dawson right in the eyes.  
  
"So how is she?" Dawson asked, directing his gaze back to her picture.  
  
"Holding up, at first things weren't so good, depressed, crying a lot, angry, but it's getting better," Jason whispered.  
  
"I miss her so much," Dawson breathed, wondering if he actually said it out loud.  
  
"I know you do.she misses you too Dawson, I can see how hurt she is," Jason said, patting him softly on the back.  
  
"So what do I do? Because I really don't know anymore," Dawson asked.  
  
"Well the way I see it you have two choices," Jason started, noticing Dawson turn to look at him. "You can wait and give her time or beg and I highly recommend the latter." They both smiled.  
  
"I'm sorry Jason, you've always been a good guy to me and I screwed you over pretty good," Dawson said, standing up.  
  
"Yeah you did screw me over pretty good, but it's okay Dawson because I think a part of me always knew when I was with Joey that her heart belonged to you but I guess it just took some time before you guys knew it," Jason said softly, extending his hand for Dawson to shake.  
  
I appreciate it Jason, thank you," Dawson said, shaking his hand. "If you talk to Joey.can you please just tell her that I miss her and think about her all the time?"  
  
"No guarantees Dawson, but I'll see what I can do," Jason said, patting him on the back before walking back to his desk.  
  
Later that day, Dawson was walking down Fifth Avenue, taking his time walking home. Lately he was never in a hurry to get somewhere because there wasn't anyone waiting for him. No one was waiting for him to meet them for dinner or lunch or to come over for movie night. Lost in his own thoughts of self-pity, he glanced into the window of Rinnie's café, where several people were waiting for their take-out order. Contemplating stopping there for a sandwich to take home, he scanned the line, wondering how long it would take for his order when he saw something that made his heart stop.  
  
Joey was standing in line, waiting for her usual turkey club sandwich and side salad. She was alone, staring off into space as the man behind the counter called off numbers for people to collect their order. Stepping closer to the glass, Dawson gasped as he got a better look at her. She looked so beautiful, dressed casually in jeans and a fitted short-sleeve shirt. Dawson noticed she looked thinner and sad, her eyes didn't have that usual sparkle and she looked tired. He watched her for a few minutes as she waited for her sandwich, but she could feel someone was looking at her. Joey looked at the people around her and they weren't looking at her with some intense stare but some unnatural instinct made her turn around and stop when she saw Dawson looking at her through the window. Her heart started to race and found herself unable to tear her gaze away from him. Lost in each other's gaze, Joey didn't hear someone call her number until the woman next to her nudged Joey angrily and Joey was forced to turn around to grab her sandwich, wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her again. Did she really see him? Turning around with sandwich in hand, Joey took a deep breath but exhaled slowly when she saw he was gone, if he even there to begin with.  
  
Flopping down on his bed, Dawson dropped his bag and ran his fingers through his hair, haunted by the look shared between him and Joey at the deli. She saw him and stared at him with those eyes that drove him crazy. Cursing himself for not going in to talk to her, Dawson closed his eyes and fell asleep, dreaming sweetly of Joey, remembering the feel of her in his arms and curled up next to him.  
  
"Jason I think I'm going crazy," Joey said, ushering him into her apartment.  
  
"What do you mean? Are the voices talking to you again?" Jason laughed, noticing the disturbed look on her face, matching her tone of the phone when she begged him to come over.  
  
"Funny outside of family your voice is the only one talking to me," Joey said with a bitter laugh, settling herself in the chairs near the couch.  
  
"What happened? You sounded weird on the phone," Jason asked, sitting on the couch.  
  
"I was getting something at Rinnie's today and I think I saw Dawson," Joey said, curling up in a ball.  
  
"You think you saw him?" Jason asked.  
  
"Yeah well I was waiting for my sandwich and then I turned around and he was outside, looking in the window and then I turned around again and he was gone, am I going crazy?" Joey cried, burying her face in her hands.  
  
"You're not crazy Joey, did you talk to him at all?" Jason asked cautiously.  
  
"No, we just sort of stared at each other and then he was gone," Joey said softly.  
  
"Did you want to talk to him?" Jason pressed.  
  
"I don't know, part of me is still angry with him but the other part misses him a lot," she said, looking down.  
  
"He misses you too Joey, he told me and I think he feels really lost without you," Jason said, wondering why he was really helping Dawson out. Joey looked up and smiled weakly.  
  
"I'm just tired of all the lies and hurting each other," Joey said, feeling tears starting. "I love him but I'm not sure if we can survive something like this again, our friendship or bizarre form of a relationship.  
  
"I can't believe I'm saying this Joey but I want you to listen to me and then the conversation ends, ok?" Jason said, looking her right in the eye. "I don't know what happened between you guys in the past but he loves you and I know a part of you still loves him too. He screwed up big time and hurt you and me, but I don't think he did that intentionally. No matter what happened in the past though, you guys still love one another and that's something that managed to stay true despite all the bad things that happened. There's something to be said about love that survives all that and still exists between two people. You have to decide if you can forgive him and if you want to be with him knowing what he did and if you don't, then you have to let it go." Joey looked down, knowing Jason was right.  
  
The next day Dawson was going through hours of video he shot over the previous days, dedicating all his time to his project. He tried to keep busy, knowing that was the only way to let his lonely day pass by but also knowing that the minute a free thought came in his head, Joey would be there.  
  
"Dawson a letter was delivered for you," Kyle, another program student said, handing him a simple white envelope with his name printed on the front. It wasn't addressed to him so someone must have dropped it off.  
  
"Who is it from?" he asked, wrapping the headset around his neck.  
  
"Don't know, a girl, pretty, big eyes," Kyle said, noticing Dawson's head snap up. "She asked me to deliver this and then she was gone."  
  
"Thanks," Dawson stammered, tearing open the envelope, feeling his heart stop as he began to read its contents.  
  
Dawson-  
  
We need to talk. If you're free for lunch, meet me at Rinnie's at 1 p.m. -Joey  
  
A nervous smile crept across Dawson's face. Joey wanted to meet him for lunch. Looking at his watch, he saw it was nearly 12:30p.m. and quickly grabbed his jacket and bag, running out of the office while Jason watched him go with a smile.  
  
The crowd at Rinnie's was fairly calm today and Dawson was nearly out of breath as he approached the outside café, where he and Joey used to meet all the time for lunch. Scanning the crowd for her, he located her sitting in a secluded corner, dressed in a floral printed dress and jean jacket. He stared at her for a minute, noticing she was nervously wringing her hands and he smiled for a first time in a while. She looked over and saw him, giving him a nervous wave and notorious half-smile, calling him over to her.  
  
"Hey," he said, feeling his palms sweat and his heart rate increase. She looked tired but stunning and he suddenly wondered if he could hug her like he used to or what he should do.  
  
"Hey," she said, standing up, almost unconsciously reaching for him but stopping, both staring at each other uncomfortably. With a smile and nervous laugh, they sat down and took in the nervous tension between them.  
  
"Thanks for the note, it made my day," he said shakily, nervously playing with the menu and silverware.  
  
"No problem, it was probably time I stopped acting like a child and avoiding you so we could talk," she laughed, tucking her hair behind her ears.  
  
"You had good reason to avoid me Joey, I probably would have done the same thing," Dawson said, staring her in the eyes.  
  
"Maybe, but ah I needed some time.to think.especially after it happened," she said, wringing her hands tighter.  
  
"It's okay really," Dawson said, trying to catch her eyes again. "It was quite a night, a lot happened."  
  
"Yeah a lot did," she said softly, taking a sip of water, mentally hoping her hand would stop shaking.  
  
"I miss you Joey, I miss you so much.the last few weeks have been really miserable without you and I'm not trying to push you."he started, feeling a bit faint.  
  
"I miss you too," Joey whispered, sneaking a quick look at him.  
  
"So what do we do now? How do we get back to being friends?" he asked nervously. He would do just about anything to get back to their friendship, privately hoping she would still want to be with him.  
  
"Can we go back to being friends after all this Dawson? Can we just be friends after you said you were in love with me? I mean if you still.love me," she said softly.  
  
"Joey I still love you just as much as I have for the last few years, but I didn't know if you still felt.if you still loved me.so if you didn't or weren't sure, I was willing to be friends again.you know start slow," he said.  
  
"Dawson we did more than just say we loved each other, we slept together, and we did it more than once," Joey said softly. "Do you want to just forget about that and go back to platonic signs of affection?"  
  
"I don't know about you Joey but all those signs of affection for the last few years, they haven't been all that platonic on my end," Dawson said, noticing the surprised look on her face. "Every time I held your hand or kissed you cheek, I wanted more. I wanted us to be together, I loved and still love you. What do you want?"  
  
"Okay so maybe mine weren't so platonic all the time either, but I'm just so tired of us fighting, of us hurting one another and never catching a damn break," Joey laughed, seeing Dawson smile and nod lightly.  
  
"Yeah we just can't seem to catch a break can we?" Dawson said bitterly.  
  
"But I think the fact that we still care for one another.that we still love one another after all the hurt and missed timing is something we can't forget either," Joey said, remembering what Jason said the previous night.  
  
"You're right," Dawson said, nodding his head. "So what do we do now? Where do we go from here?"  
  
"I think we just have to go slow and start spending time together to see if we still care enough about each other to be friends or more than friends," Joey said, seeing Dawson trying to contain his relieved and pleased smile.  
  
"So what does that mean, take it slow?" Dawson asked.  
  
"Well it means movie nights, lunches and dinners, slowly working back to what we were before figuring out if we go forward from there," Joey said with half smile. "And no more romantic advice or favors at all!"  
  
"I can definitely agree with you on that," Dawson laughed, running his fingers through his hair.  
  
"I'm sorry I asked you do set me up with someone Dawson, that was unfair of me to put you in that position," Joey said softly, reaching over for his hand, which he gave her gladly.  
  
"No Joey I was wrong to try and set you up with someone you'd hate and it was unfair of me not to be honest with you all along," Dawson said, rubbing his thumb over her hand, staring adoringly at her. "And despite my dishonesty with you, I never lied to you when we were at the wedding or when you came over to my apartment.I love you Joey and I never made love to you with ulterior motives or to be malicious."  
  
"I know Dawson," she said softly, giving him her other hand. "I missed us the last few weeks."  
  
"Me too," he said with a smile, enjoying the light breeze that blew through the café and the feel of her hands in his. 


	9. The Next Step

"Do you always keep your women waiting like this?" Joey snapped playfully, trying to maintain a straight face as Dawson bounced up the stairs to her apartment, one hand behind his back.  
  
"I'm only like." he said, checking his watch.  
  
"Like fifteen minutes late Dawson, we're going to miss the movie now," Joey said with a smile, reaching to pull him in the apartment.  
  
"Wait, well I have good reason for being late," he said with a half smile, pulling back from her.  
  
"Herpes acting up again film boy?" she giggled, biting on her lip.  
  
"Ah no, I actually saw these and thought you might like them, pretty flowers for a pretty woman," he said slyly, pulling his arm out from behind his back, showing a bouquet of daisies. Joey blushed and motioned for him to come in.  
  
"Foliage, very nice Don Juan," she said, smelling the flowers.  
  
"We should go eat and by the way, if my 'herpes' was acting up, it would be because you gave them to me. You're the last woman I slept with," Dawson said playfully, giving her hip a playful swat, causing her to gently punch him.  
  
"Celibate now are we?" Joey said with a laugh, grabbing her coat, which Dawson helped her put on. "Yeah I guess celibacy is pretty hot, but then again I saw Katie Couric has a new hairstyle so who knows you might be working something else overtime." Joey burst out giggling when Dawson started blushing.  
  
"Funny, but comments like that will not help you get to first or second base this evening," Dawson said matter-of-factly, hearing a groan from Joey.  
  
"So were are we eating Dawson because I'm dying here from starvation," Joey whined as they walked through Times Square on a busy, warm Saturday night. They walked close together, linking arms tightly to maneuver through the crowds on Broadway.  
  
"I don't care Joey where do you want to go?" he asked with a sly smile. She was getting flustered and he knew it, but his surprise would wait a few more minutes.  
  
"Oh no I'm not deciding," she said with a flustered tone, pulling his arm to make him stop walking. "I am not the guy in this little evening out so you choose. That's how this whole thing works, you pick me up, you take me somewhere for dinner, you take me home and you maybe and you're really reaching for this now, you might get something else."  
  
"I don't know about you but I'm really hoping for a good night lay," Dawson joked, watching the horrified look on her face wash over, punching him again, but picking up the noticeable sexual tension. "Okay kidding, sort of, anyhow I do know where we're going for dinner and we're almost there."  
  
"Am I dressed appropriately?" she asked nervously as they started walking again.  
  
"Is this where you start acting like the typical nervous, fidgety girl in this situation?" Dawson asked, raising his eyebrow. "You're fine." Smiling warmly, Joey sneaked a glance at him and wrapped her arm around his tighter.  
  
It had a been one month after their lunch at Rinnie's and things were back to normal between them. After a few uncomfortable and nervous movie nights and dinners, they just started talking again and things fell into place. For now though they didn't sleep in the same bed and the kisses on the cheek and handholding was on hold for now too. Dawson and Joey just wanted to keep things as uncomplicated as they could for now and that's what they did. For now they were just best friends again, hanging out a lot together, talking on the phone all the time again and doing friend things together. Jason hung out with them a few times, which was uncomfortable at first, but it got better after a few times too. Dawson got back on track, progressing nicely with his project, which would end up being ready for the festival in a few weeks. Dawson was still in love with Joey and she was still in love with him, but they opted to put those feelings aside for a bit and get back to being friends. Now that they were, Dawson finally worked up the nerve to ask her out on a date for that evening. Acting like a teenager though, he wrote out several scripts to figure out how to appropriately ask her, even practicing his approach with Jason at work! When he finally did though, Joey said yes and unbeknownst to Joey, the initial plan for dinner and a movie was purposely changed by Dawson in favor of something a bit more symbolic.  
  
"Are we almost there?" Joey whined again, stomping her foot against the pavement. She was starving after skipping lunch because she knew they would go somewhere nice tonight.  
  
"Oh someone's crabby tonight, but yes master we're here," Dawson said, motioning for her to look up.  
  
"Oh my god we're going to the Rainbow Room?" Joey breathed, looking at him in shock. "Dawson you should have said something, I'm just in a flimsy dress and jacket!"  
  
"Joey you look fine and I thought this would be appropriate for the evening so let's go," he said, letting go of her arm and extending his hand, which she took, lacing her fingers between his.  
  
"This is too much Dawson, I mean it's great, but too much," Joey protested as the waiter seated them at a table overlooking the skyline.  
  
"Joey this is a date and I wanted to do something nice for you and I thought given our previous history this would be a very symbolic place for us to go," he said, causing her to shudder as he gently traced his fingertips across her hand.  
  
"Do you remember the last time we were here?" she asked.  
  
"Of course I remember, you just moved here from Boston, we were exhausted from walking all over the city and had that picture taken at the top of the Empire State Building from that strange woman," Dawson laughed, remembering back to that day.  
  
"I love that picture you know," she said softly, touching his hand gently, causing him to look up from his menu with a half smile.  
  
"Me too," he said, watching her look down at her menu. "You look really beautiful tonight Joey, I meant to tell you that when I came to pick you up but you were too busy insulting my manhood."  
  
"I kid because I care Dawson, imagine how I would act if I hated you," Joey said with a sly smile. They stared at each other for a minute, enjoying the moment and each other's company.  
  
After dinner they went to dance, dancing cheek to cheek for hours. Holding Joey in his arms, smelling her soft perfume and the feel of her skin through her dress was intoxicating and Dawson thought he would go crazy after a while. They talked lightly as they danced but mostly they just got lost in each other's embrace and the music that filled the room softly. Joey closed her eyes, letting herself get lost in his arms, letting her body relax against him. Finally as the band began to wrap up for the evening, Joey pulled back slowly, still locked in Dawson's embrace.  
  
"I'm having a really nice time Dawson, thank you," she whispered, letting her hands fall to his chest with his arms still locked around her waist.  
  
"You're welcome Joey, this is.really nice," he said, a bit embarrassed. They stared into each other's eyes, getting lost in one another again, seeing the nerves and anticipation in each other, unsure what to do next. Leaning in slowly, their foreheads rested against one another and Joey put her arms back around his neck. The band began to leave but the restaurant piped in some music for the remaining couples. Still dancing slowly, Joey and Dawson stopped when the all too familiar song "Home" started.  
  
"Do you remember the last time we danced to this?" she asked, pulling back a bit, wondering if he really remembered.  
  
"Of course, the Potter's catering debut at the wedding, Jack and I convinced the bride to go through with the wedding and then your dad switched partners with my mom so we could dance," he said softly.  
  
"Do you remember what happened when we danced?" Joey asked, feeling butterflies in her stomach.  
  
"Of course I do Joey, do you think I could forget you telling me you loved me and then that kiss?" Dawson asked, surprised that she doubted him.  
  
"You never know Dawson.so much has changed since then," Joey said softly, looking down at her feet.  
  
"A lot has changed but not one thing." Dawson started, feeling a bit nervous, wondering if he should continue.  
  
"What's that?" Joey breathed, barely getting the words out of her mouth.  
  
"I love you.so much," he said softly, barely able to breathe. He could see the tears in her eyes and she opened her mouth, wanting to say something but almost unable to.  
  
"I love you too," she said, tears starting to fall. Feeling a combination of joy and relief, Dawson breathed deeply, before releasing his hands from her waist and gently placing them on her face. It felt like a dream to Joey, but it wasn't. Closing her eyes, his lips gently touched hers, letting them linger on hers for a minute. He pulled away, resting his forehead against hers again, putting his arms around her again, but looking into her eyes again, he knew this was it. Without a word Joey leaned in to him again, kissing him softly but when they broke away again, he reached for her, pulling her closer, letting the kiss grow and deepen as the song continued. When they finally broke apart for air, trying not to make out like porn stars in front of the remaining people.  
  
"Okay I'll let you get to first base," Dawson whispered, watching Joey break out laughing.  
  
"Thanks but I'm pretty sure that I can't get to second in the middle of the Rainbow Room," she smiled, kissing his cheek softly, causing a chill to run down his spine.  
  
"You're right.I won't be able to get my goodnight lay here either," he said as Joey started laughing, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the table to grab her coat and purse.  
  
"Let's go," he said, pausing to pull her close again and share another tender kiss. She pulled away and nodded and they strolled hand-in-hand to the elevator before jogging out into the crystal clear New York night to catch a cab and go home.together. 


	10. The End

"Can you please go faster sir, the flight is arriving at LaGuardia at six," Joey hissed to the cab driver, punching a number in her cell phone.  
  
"Miss, I go as fast as I can, New York traffic doesn't care what time your flight is arriving," the driver snapped back, frustrated like Joey with the gridlock traffic.  
  
"Hi it's me, okay so I am running really late and traffic is a nightmare so please don't be mad but I'm pretty sure I'll be really late to get you so meet me by the baggage claim and call me the minute you get this.I can't wait to see you."Joey said, lowering her voice when she noticed the driver's interest in her call.  
  
"Miss I see ahead that traffic is breaking on the freeway so it should be better in a mile or so," he said, barely turning his head to tell her.  
  
"Thanks," she said, turning the volume up on her phone so she could hear it when it rang. To take her mind off the stop-and-start traffic, Joey began thinking about the last few months, smiling to herself. Things were going so well, Joey often had to pinch herself to make sure it was all real and all of this wasn't a dream. Work was getting better, she was promoted a few weeks before and was busier, but also got better assignments, which made it much more bearable to work as much as she did. But she also got to work from home or out in the field with Dawson, so that was another added bonus.  
  
So work was good and her family and friends were good, but things were even better romantically. Joey and Dawson had been an official, full-fledged couple for six months now and things just got better between them every day. They were finally able to catch their break and they were making it work, despite everything that happened with Jason. Both tried to take it slowly, but after three years of being friends and another lifetime of hiding what they felt, they just let it ride, keeping their friendship and communication at the front of their relationship. They still met for movie nights, lunches and dinners and they still slept over and shared a bed, although it wasn't so platonic anymore. Dawson finished his documentary and showed it at the New York West Side Film Festival along with Jason and other guys from the program.  
  
Many of the students opted not to bring dates but Dawson insisted that Joey go with him as she held his hand and repeated continuously how proud she was of him. A photographer took a picture of them at one of the parties, holding hands and looking lovingly at one another and it almost replaced the picture of them at the Empire State Building as their favorite. After the New York festival, certain students were able to take their film on the road to other selective festivals nationwide and Dawson was one of them. As excited as she was for him, Joey was sad at the thought of him being gone for three weeks as they traveled. They spoke every night and a few times during the day and today he was finally coming back and Joey was more than excited.  
  
"Miss we're here, miss?" the driver snapped, causing Joey to come back to reality.  
  
"Oh thank you," she said, slipping him some money and then jumping out of the cab to jog into the baggage claim area. Looking at her watch, she saw it was 6:10p.m. and she immediately headed over to the Arrival/Departure screens to see if his flight was in. Turning her head to see a stream of passengers heading down the escalators to the baggage claim, Joey noticed his flight had arrived and she ran over to the escalator to see if she could find him.  
  
Waiting was not one of her strong suits and after a few minutes Joey began to get impatient. Scanning over the hundreds of people filing down to the baggage claim, Joey tried to scout out all the young, blonde-haired males, but she was unable to find anyone that looked like Dawson. Checking her phone, she sighed, wondering if he missed the flight. No he would have called if that happened, she reassured herself. Looking at her watch and then scanning the crowd again, she finally noticed someone smoothly maneuvering his way through the crowded escalators, anxious to get to the bottom. Feeling her heart rate increase, Joey moved to get a closer look and felt a wide grin break out on her face, following the figure and fighting the people in front of her to get to where he was.  
  
A few minutes later he made it to the bottom of the escalator and began scanning the crowd as well for her. Stopping a few feet away, still grinning like a child and clasping her hands together, Joey tried to call out for him, but she didn't have to. The crowd separating them began to clear and he turned and saw her, staring at her for a minute before breaking into a grin and grabbing his bag to run over to her. Never breaking eye contact as they ran to one another, he dropped his bag again when she was only an arm-width away and caught her when she jumped into his arms, burying her face in his neck and squeezing him so tight that she almost feared she would crush him. They stayed completely wrapped up in one another for a while, just holding one another until Joey pulled back and kissed him so hard that she felt the breath escape him.  
  
"Hi," she breathed, gasping for air as well when she finally let him go, sliding out of his arms and latching onto his hand as they walked to get his bags.  
  
"Well hi there," he said, grabbing his bag from the floor and taking deep breathes. "That was quite a welcome, I think you just might have missed me."  
  
"Yeah well my other boyfriend went out of town a few days ago so I've been starved for attention," she laughed, wiping her lipstick off part of his lip before leaning in for another kiss.  
  
"So he didn't mind you and me on the phone all the time? I have a feeling my cell phone bill is going to be huge this month," Dawson laughed, pulling her into his arms as they waited for the bags to arrive the carousal.  
  
"Well then maybe you shouldn't go away like that again?" she said with a wink, tightening her grip on his waist. Breaking apart so he could grab his bag, she took one bag so they could latch onto one another as they went out to catch a cab.  
  
"Are you tired, you must be exhausted," she said, snuggling close to him in the cab, leaving butterfly kisses on his neck.  
  
"Yeah I'm tired, but I'm starving more than anything," he said, yawning and slipping his arm around her.  
  
"Okay good because I just have to warm up dinner when we get back to my place and then you can just eat and relax and get some sleep tonight," she said, rubbing his arm lovingly.  
  
"I don't have to just sleep tonight do I?" he asked mischievously.  
  
"No you don't, but if you plan on going into the office early or at all tomorrow you should maybe reconsider your answer, just remember it's been.three weeks," she said seductively, slipping her hand to his upper thigh, feeling him jump.  
  
"Ah well since I took the later flight the program director said I didn't have to come in tomorrow so I guess that means.I'm yours," he said, slipping his hand under her light shirt as she tried to muffle a giggle. "By the way I thought I was a decent phone sex partner."  
  
"Eh you were okay but it's hard to talk dirty when I know you're sharing a room with someone," she said with a sly smile. "Besides I prefer the real thing."  
  
"I think I can do that," he said, removing his hand from her shirt and holding her hand tightly, enjoying the silence between them the rest of the ride home.  
  
"Here just throw your bags near the bed and I'll start warming up dinner," she said with a quick kiss, turning on the lights in her apartment.  
  
"The place looks really nice, what did you do while I was gone?" he asked, looking around to notice the little changes she made.  
  
"Oh I just added a screen so I can change in private and put up some more pictures, nothing big," she called from the kitchen-area.  
  
"You don't need a screen honey, watching you change is part of the reason I like coming here so much," he smiled, hearing her laugh.  
  
"Well maybe I'll just leave it up when you're not around then," she said with a raised eyebrow, sending a chill down his spine.  
  
"Hey Joey don't you think it's kind of dumb for us to have to separate apartments when we're together all the time?" Dawson asked nervously, slowly making his way back to the kitchen-area. Joey paused for a minute, partially in shock because she had been thinking the same thing while he was gone.  
  
"Yeah I guess it's dumb and kind of a waste of money," she said, taking the re-heated food out of the oven.  
  
"So.how would you feel.and you don't have to answer now.just something to think about.maybe you.me living together?" Dawson asked, stuttering out the last words.  
  
"Like you.me.one apartment living together?" she asked, looking at the nervous expression in his eye.  
  
"Yeah you know give it a try," he said, shoving food in his mouth. He couldn't read the expression on her face, but he knew it was a cross between confused and surprised. "You know just think about it and then we can talk about it at a later time." So they changed the subject quickly as Dawson told her all about the final screening in Oregon the night before. As much as they tried to talk about something else though, the Dawson's question lingered in Joey's mind. When dinner was done he helped her clear the table and then snuggled in together on the couch to watch some TV before they went to bed.  
  
"So did you bring me something back besides you in one piece?" she asked with a smile, grabbing a blanket to wrap around them.  
  
"Oh you think you got a gift? Yeah sorry I bought my other girlfriend one instead," he smiled, wrapping the blanket around his body and then welcoming her into the embrace.  
  
"Other girlfriend? Why does she get something and I don't," Joey pouted playfully, kissing his jaw softly.  
  
"Well she plays hard to get and you.I'm sorry Joey I love you but you're.well a sure thing," he said, looking down at her shocked expression.  
  
"Hmm well thank goodness I taped Katie Couric for you this morning because she's the only person you'll be talking dirty to tonight," she huffed, trying to pull out of his embrace.  
  
"Oh wait I think I did find something for you while we were in California, let me check," he said, slipping off the couch and running over to his bag. Wrapped in the blanket and waiting for him, Joey noticed his mood changed slightly as he returned, holding a small box.  
  
"For me?" she said playfully, noticing his nervous grin as he handed her over the box and rejoined her on the couch. She slowly opened the box and found a black velvet draw-string bag waiting inside, causing her to stop and look at him, wondering if it was she thought it might be. Seeing him give her a gentle nod, she opened the bag and found a gold band with several semi-precious gems on the top.  
  
"Dawson this is so beautiful but it's too much," she gasped, stunned by the beauty of the ring. "But marriage.are we ready?"  
  
"It's not an engagement ring Joey.it's a promise ring," he said, moving closer and removing the band from the box. "The stones are our birthstones lined up next to one another, just like I'm always right beside you through everything and inside I had something engraved."  
  
"My promise of love to you.always," Joey read, feeling tears start in her eyes.  
  
"This is my promise to you, my promise to be your boyfriend, lover, best friend and soul mate always and no matter what," Dawson said, slipping the ring gently on her ring finger. "And it's a promise that one day, when we're really ready that I'll give you a real engagement ring and ask you to marry me."  
  
"So it's a pre-engagement ring?" Joey asked, still staring at it on her finger.  
  
"Yes," he said, pulling her into a deep kiss and hug. Overcome with emotion, Joey didn't let him go, making the kiss become more passionate, pushing him back on the couch so she half-laid on top of him.  
  
"I thought about your idea earlier and I think we should move in together," she breathed, gasping for air again after that kiss.  
  
"Here?" he asked, looking around.  
  
"Here, your place or we could find something of our own, just for us, a new start together," she said, kissing his jaw and behind his ear, eliciting a groan from his mouth.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked, getting lost in her kisses and touch.  
  
"Yes, are you?" she replied, pulling back to look him in the eye.  
  
"Yes," he breathed, pushing her hair behind her ears.  
  
"Good film boy because.I love you.a lot and I want us to be together," she said, getting a bit emotional.  
  
"Good because I'd never let you go, not again.ever," he said, pulling her in for another kiss before picking her up and carrying her over to the bed.  
  
The next morning they started looking for apartments and within a month they moved in to a one-bedroom apartment in Chelsea together. They lived happy there for several years, but it only took Dawson another six months before he proposed to Joey, in a carriage in Central Park, right after dinner at the Rainbow Room. Another year later they married and continued to live happily where they were, until a bigger place was needed because Joey was about to give birth to their first son Elliot Jason Leery. More years and another child followed but Dawson's promise to her, symbolized by that ring was never broken and her silent promise to be the same to him never did either.  
  
The End 


End file.
